Not all editors are angry when you take back your manuscript, but they do manage to get their revenge. Here's an example that I snitched off of poet David Hernandez's website from Oberlin College Press' poetry journal called Field. (I assume that Hernandez submitted several poems simultaneously, one of which got accepted elsewhere, so he wrote to the journal to withdraw the one poem from consideration, as is a common practice.) It says: "Dear David Hernandez: We're sorry you had to withdraw 'The Soldier Inside the House' -- all of us liked it, and I think it would have been accepted. None of these others quite made it for us, but please keep trying us with your work. Thanks, David Walker. I love that Walker acknowledges Hernandez's reversal rejection, while still managing to trump him with a standard rejection of all his other poems. Guess Walker got the last laugh. Also it's wonderfully tentative that he "thinks it would have been accepted." Funny how everyone wants only what isn't available any more, isn't it?
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
We Only Want What We Can't Have
Not all editors are angry when you take back your manuscript, but they do manage to get their revenge. Here's an example that I snitched off of poet David Hernandez's website from Oberlin College Press' poetry journal called Field. (I assume that Hernandez submitted several poems simultaneously, one of which got accepted elsewhere, so he wrote to the journal to withdraw the one poem from consideration, as is a common practice.) It says: "Dear David Hernandez: We're sorry you had to withdraw 'The Soldier Inside the House' -- all of us liked it, and I think it would have been accepted. None of these others quite made it for us, but please keep trying us with your work. Thanks, David Walker. I love that Walker acknowledges Hernandez's reversal rejection, while still managing to trump him with a standard rejection of all his other poems. Guess Walker got the last laugh. Also it's wonderfully tentative that he "thinks it would have been accepted." Funny how everyone wants only what isn't available any more, isn't it?
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4 comments:
He actually told Hernandez to keep trying them with his "best work." I guess that means not to send any more of those sucky poems they were about to reject when they got around to accepting the one good one.
I'm actually just kidding. Poor Walker, his note is really pretty kind and I'm sure he had no weird or bad feelings toward Hernandez in his heart of hearts. After all, he took the trouble to say they liked the piece that was being withdrawn and didn't blackball Hernandez for withdrawing it, but encouraged him to send more stuff. (Just make sure it's your best, is all!)
Oberlin uber alles!
David Walker rocks!
yes and journal are allwayys saying hoe competitive they are so they should just excepted the truth.
take a rejections editors.
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